Antics of a Younger Crowd
by Triscribe
Summary: Sequel to my story Tending to the Crowd, in which Kaldur finds he's still the go-to guy for advice - except now, it's a decade later, and he's giving it to the kids of those adults he'd helped before... If anything, the younger generation causes even worse headaches.
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: Alright, you people got your sequel! But instead of my rapid fire one-chapter-update-a-day, I'll need a little more time for this one, since this first teaser is really all that's been written so far. I've got the plot laid out, though, so we're looking at about two weeks total, methinks._

 _Enjoy, or I'll sic Artemis on you..._

 _-Triscribe_

Chapter 1

Kaldur was going over potential breeding arrangements for the fish hatchery when his front door was thrown open and a fuming Marian Grayson stomped into his house. Raising an eyebrow at the angry little six year old, he carefully set down the documents and mentally prepared himself for hearing about whatever had upset her.

"I don't wanna go to Daddy's stupid stinky family re-un-i-on." Marian proclaimed, fists planted on her hips.

"You seemed happy about it a few days ago." He pointed out to her.

"It's in _Gotham!_ I didn't know it was all the way in stupid Gotham! We'll have to be gone for a _whole week!_ I'll miss Eva's birthday party!" Despite her apparent rage, the girl looked close to tears. Kaldur got to his feet, snagged a box of tissues off of the coffee table, and guided Marian over to the sofa.

"This would be your classmate who always brings decorated cupcakes to class for special occasions, yes?" He asked. The six year old sniffled and nodded, accepting the tissue he handed her. "Could you ask that one be saved for you?"

"...Maybe."

-AYC-

Dick called about an hour later, sounding out of breath and more than a little panicked. "Is Marian at your place?"

"Yes. She's playing upstairs with Tabitha." The younger man let out a relieved sigh, before his tension returned.

"Okay. I'll come by as quickly as I can to pick her up-"

"Richard. Did you realize how upset she was about the reunion being so far away?"

"...No? I mean, she was a lot less excited about it when I told her it would be in Gotham, but..."

Kaldur shook his head, perfectly aware that the other parent would know he was doing it even without being face to face. "Make sure to let her know there will be cupcakes." Not sticking around for Dick to recover from his baffled silence, Kaldur hung up and turned to see his wife smirking at him from the kitchen doorway.

"Now why," Raquel teased as she sauntered forward. "Would little Marian have come here to complain to _you_ of all people, I wonder?"

"I haven't the slightest idea. Although, the saying 'the reward for a job well done is another job' comes to mind, thanks to my old matchmaking efforts." He sighed ruefully.

Now Raquel laughed outright, giving him a quick peck on the lips. "And what wonderful matches you made, love."

"Mm." He really couldn't do anything but agree to that statement, even if the man was now worrying about the possibility of being a source of wisdom for _all_ his friends' children. Ah, well. Surely that wouldn't be the case... And at any rate, no amount of childish pestering could be as bad as the stress involved when getting their parents together in the first place.

At least, he hoped so.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Two nights after the Graysons left for the family reunion in Gotham, Kaldur answered a knock at his door, finding a concerned looking Conner on the front step. Welcoming the other man inside, and sensing that something was worrying his friend more than it should, Kaldur got them each a drink from the fridge before settling at the kitchen counter.

"It's Calvin." The dark haired man said bluntly when asked what the matter was. "He's, well, apparently he's been getting into fights at school."

Kaldur blinked. "That hardly seems like him." Auburn haired Calvin Kent took very much after his mother's personality, being a sweet and helpful boy - as much as an active seven year old could be, at any rate. He and Kaldur's daughter were in the same class together at Happy Harbor Elementary. "Would you like for me to inquire with Tabitha to see if she knows the reason?" Conner took a deep breath.

"That's the thing, Kaldur... I think _she's_ the reason."

-AYC-

Said child had come to the stairs when she heard her father answer the door. Upon seeing Mr. Kent coming into their house, Tabitha had felt a cold hand grip her insides. As she'd done for years whenever feeling upset, the girl retreated to her big brother's room. The fifteen year old was gone for the night, to see a science exhibit with their mother that Tabitha had expressed no interest in going to.

Now she wished she had, just so as to postpone the inevitable.

Sure enough, not long after Mr. Kent's arrival, she heard the front door open and close downstairs, followed by footsteps coming up. Tabitha slid herself underneath Amistad's bed, eager to do anything she could to delay the coming conversation. It didn't do that much good, though - her father's footsteps returned from down the hall, where he'd clearly checked her room first, and they came straight in and towards the bed.

Tabitha watched the bare feet pause, turn, and then were tucked under folded knees as her father sat down cross legged. He never said a word.

Watching in silence, Tabitha eventually decided that remaining in her hiding place was a lost cause. She might be even more stubborn than her mother, but Kaldur Ahm could out-wait anyone alive. With a sigh, the girl hauled herself out, and folded herself up beside her father. When she dared to look up at him, Tabitha got a shock - his gaze was pained and guilt-ridden, not the disappointment she'd been expecting.

"I take it they used words rather than fists?" Her father finally murmured, to which Tabitha nodded. Both her parents had been teaching her over the years how to defend herself from physical attack, but... Martial arts weren't much good against kids who teased her over the pale color of her hair or the marine animals that decorated her clothes and backpack in abundance.

"I, I'm sorry, Daddy." His head tilted in confusion.

"Whatever for, little pearl? Those bullies are to blame for this, not you."

Inexplicably, tears started to roll down her cheeks as she explained. "B-because, I couldn't make them stop, and Mrs. White didn't believe me when I told her, so I didn't again after the first time, but then Calvin kept getting in trouble when he'd yell at them to leave me alone and when he hit Georgie Godfrey-" By this point she was shaking as well as crying, despite her father wrapping the girl up in his strong embrace.

When Raquel and Amistad returned late that evening, they were surprised to find Kaldur comforting a distraught Tabitha in the middle of her brother's bedroom floor. Even without having a clue of what had happened, the pair easily added themselves to the family huddle, until at last the bullied girl's sobs came to a halt.

-AYC-

The next morning, Tabitha's teacher Wendy White got a call from Kaldur, who calmly told the woman of what his daughter had been experiencing at the hands of her fellow students, and that Calvin Kent was only responsible for defending his friend. Relieved at receiving the explanation of two of her sweetest students' recent behavior, the woman promised to properly reprimand the children responsible and inform their parents of the matter.

"That's all I can ask." Kaldur thanked her, before hanging up. "Now then..." He turned to stare down at the expectant seven year olds standing in the garage beside him. "We will begin with how to throw a proper punch, followed by a lesson in turning an insult back upon its deliverer. Understood?"

"Yes sir, Mr. Ahm!"

"Understood, Daddy!"


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

There was another emergency less than a week later.

Kaldur was at work when another employee ran into the hatchery, screaming something about the Elementary school burning down. Almost faster than the eye could follow, Kaldur was out the door and bolting away, not even bothering to loop around to the parking garage where his car was. Being in excellent shape for a man approaching middle aged, he covered the two miles to Happy Harbor Elementary in record time.

Gasping from the exertion, Kaldur arrived to see a crowd of concerned parents gathered around a barricade of police cars and firetrucks. The student body was milling about on the little field beside the school, teachers providing what comfort they could for the scared children. Sweeping his eyes back and forth, Kaldur nearly fell to his knees in relief when he spotted the familiar head of pale, nearly white hair falling over dark brown skin. Tabitha was standing near the edge of the mass of students, next to her small group of friends, who seemed to be fine - for the most part. Irey and Jay West were huddled together on the ground, appearing close to tears even as the other kids tried talking to them. As for the school itself, there appeared to only be a small amount of smoke slipping out from some classroom windows on the far side of the building, not the inferno that Kaldur (and clearly, many others) had expected upon hearing the news.

The man was prepared to turn around and sheepishly return to work when he noticed a pair of policemen approaching his daughter and her friends.

-AYC-

"Those brats are _so_ going to be grounded until they're thirty." Artemis growled, squeezing the steering wheel of her car so tightly Kaldur feared she might break it.

The blonde woman was giving him a lift back to the hatchery, after his assistance in sorting out the matter involving the West twins and the fire. As he'd gotten from the children and relayed to the authorities, Irey and Jay had been arguing over how to arrange their project for the class science fair, chemicals had been spilled over flammable, and the next thing anyone knew there was a fire burning on the table and spreading quickly. A simple yet dangerous accident, but not something to excessively punish the twins over.

Kaldur had just gotten the police to agree with his assessment when Artemis West herself arrived, escorted forward by another officer who only told the woman that her children were involved with causing the incident. She'd been very pale at first, but soon enough the legendary temper came out, promising that the twins would be hearing more when their mother returned home.

As all the students were being sent home early, Irey and Jay scrambled to get their bikes and hurry on, while Artemis offered Kaldur a ride to spare him another run.

"While I have no idea how I'd react in such a situation were Tabitha or Amistad where the twins are now, I think you might be just a tad excessive with that punishment." He calmly pointed out, ignoring the glare Artemis sent his way. "It was an accident, after all."

Expecting further fussing and growling, Kaldur wasn't expecting a tired sigh from the woman in the driver's seat. "...I don't know about that, Kal." They pulled up to the hatchery's parking lot, but he made no move to get out, silently encouraging her to go on. "It's just... This last year, Wally's been going on a lot more business trips than he originally did for S.T.A.R. Labs, and the kids have been... Feeling neglected. He feels awful about it, and does whatever he can to make up for the trips when he gets home again, but his hours are just so demanding. It doesn't help that Wally can't be on time to save his life... Anyway, I think the kids might be acting out to try and get him to stay home more often."

"I see." Briefly closing his eyes in sympathy for all of the Wests, Kaldur tried to think about what he could do to help. "Would you like me to talk to them tonight or tomorrow?"

"That would be really nice, but you don't have to-"

"Really, it's no trouble."

"...Thanks, Kaldur."

-AYC-

That evening, Amistad went over to the Harper residence while Tabitha was taken to the Kent household, before Raquel and Artemis left to enjoy a night out as Kaldur settled himself at the Wests' place in order to talk to the twins. Both the eight year olds recognized that something serious was in the air, causing each to avoid looking him in the eye until after the tortellini dinner was all eaten.

"Would you two mind waiting for me in the living room?" Kaldur asked as he started rinsing off the dishes. Heads hanging low, the twins did as he asked, though neither looked happy about it. When the man finished up, he found them sitting side by side on the sofa, wearing identical expressions of despair.

Kaldur couldn't help it. He laughed.

Blonde and red hair went flying as the kids' heads whipped up to stare at him. Waving a hand at them, Kaldur went to take a seat across from the pair. "You two appear as though I'm delivering the news of your execution."

Jay broke out of his shock first. "Well... It's gotta be really bad, if you're here instead of Mom."

"Yeah!" Irey exclaimed. "She said this morning we were gonna 'have words' later, but then this afternoon she looked a lot different and said you'd be watching us tonight and that we were gonna have to talk to _you_ instead."

"And so you assumed I would be delivering a worse talk than your mother? I'm pleased to see how much faith you have in me." The twins had the sense to at least look sheepish at his words. "No, I merely offered to come over so that your mother could have a pleasant night, and so that I may understand why you two have supposedly been 'acting out' lately. Is it because your father hasn't been around as much as he used to?"

Their expressions became very telling. Kaldur found himself being exceptionally grateful that the pair before him took after Wally in terms of having a poker face - when Artemis wanted to hide her emotions, the stone wall facade she wore was impenetrable.

-AYC-

After hearing the news of what his children had gotten up to during his latest trip away, Wally West was at a loss. It took Kaldur and Artemis almost three hours to talk some sense into the man, who felt inordinately responsible and was of a mind to go straight to his office and quit.

"It won't do the twins any good in the long run, my friend." Kaldur told him flatly. "They'll just learn that causing scenes like this do work in gaining your positive attention, and who knows what sorts of dangers they could bring about in their teens, or later on in life?" Eventually, Wally was convinced to approach his bosses about cutting back on the number of conventions and meetings they sent him to, perhaps shifting the staff around a little so that he could go to family friendly ones instead. Being able to share the experience with Irey and Jay would certainly be more helpful in explaining why it was good for their father to go on such trips.

"In the meantime," Artemis said with a determined glint in her eye. "You will be taking those two to every nearby museum and amusement park that they want, _and_ you will make time in your schedule to attend their science fair at school. Got it?" He grinned weakly and agreed.

Despite the plans for making the twins' lives better, though, there was still the matter of appropriate punishment over the fire. Wally himself told the pair that they'd be grounded for a week with no desserts, and doing extra chores for the month after that. "It's not just for you behavior, but so that you two understand that there's a good reason why chemicals are usually off limits - they can be very dangerous, even if you're being really careful around them, which you guys definitely were not. Okay?"

"Okay, Dad." The twins said together, disappointed in themselves.

"Alright then. After your punishment is over, we'll see about doing some fun stuff together." Satisfied, Wally departed from the room his kids shared, shutting the door behind him. Later that afternoon, as the twins were working on the homework they'd been assigned over the time period before the school opened up again, they were startled by a tap on their window. Hanging like a monkey off the outer sill was Marian Grayson, grinning at them through the glass.

Irey hurried over to open up the window. "Are you crazy?!" The redhead hissed as her friend flipped into their bedroom.

"A little." Marian admitted. "But not so much as to set our _school_ on _fire._ " Each of the Wests winced at that. They did deserve it, but still. And since Marian had still been out of town until that morning, she had to have gotten the story out of one of the others.

The young acrobat went and sat cross-legged on Jay's bed. "Well? Are you going to tell me about it, or what?" They explained everything, from coming up with a project to properly impress their dad, only for him to be out of town at the time of the presentations, to arguing over the plan in class and starting the fire, all the way to Mr. Ahm's talk and how he calmed their parents down. By the end of the stream of words, Marian was looking thoughtful as the twins recovered their breath.

"Y'know, Mr. Ahm was the one to make me feel better about going to Gotham, too." She mentioned. "When teachers say we should take our problems to someone we trust, do you think they mean people like him?"

"Probably." Jay nodded in agreement. "I heard Mrs. Ahm get our parents to laugh once by saying he was responsible for all of us kids."

Irey tipped her head to one side as she considered it as well. "So, whenever any of us has a problem, we should go talk to Mr. Ahm about it?"

"That sounds about right." Pleased with their discovery, the twins returned their attention to the schoolwork as Marian talked about her trip and Gotham and all the cousins she wanted to invite up to Happy Harbor at some point. "Maybe I can get Mr. Ahm to help convince my daddy to have the next family reunion up here!"


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Kaldur raised an eyebrow at his stepson. "Obi-wan Kenobi. Really." Amistad was nodding eagerly.

"You totally are! You're strong with the Force, Dad - even when everyone else is clueless, you know exactly what to do! And your hair's practically the same color as his in A New Hope, too!"

"...I suppose I will have take that as a compliment. Have you given thought to who anyone else might be?"

"Of course I have." The fifteen year old looked affronted at the idea he would only compare one person to their perfect Star Wars character. "Conner and Megan Kent are Anakin and Padme Skywalker, because Mom says they used to be grumpiness and sunshine personified, while Wally and Artemis West are Han Solo and Princess Leia-"

"Ah, due to the strength of their old arguments, yes?"

"Exactly. Oh, and Dick and Zatanna Grayson are R2D2 and C3PO." That gave Kaldur pause.

"...Dare I ask why?"

"Because he's a troublemaker who's almost as smart as you, and she's the one who gets the most fed up when anyone's being an obtuse idiot."

"...I see."

"The only one I'm having trouble with is Mom-"

"Oh, honey!" Raquel laughed from the kitchen doorway, startling both the room's occupants, neither of whom had heard her there in the last few minutes. "I'm more inclined to say that _I'm_ the one who's Obi-wan, and your dad is Yoda. Both impressive, but still on different levels of wisdom."

Amistad mulled it over for a moment. "Okay. I guess I could see that."

"I still want to know where all this came from." Kaldur sighed, getting the teen to smirk.

"Lian and I were talking it over yesterday, when she said her dad was Boba Fett."

"I can see that." Raquel said idly as she walked over. "Kal, it's almost five. The Kents are gonna be expecting you to come pick up Tabitha in a few minutes."

"Right as usual, love. I'll see you both later." He left the pair to their debates over who else they knew could be compared to a Star Wars figure, internally laughing at the notion that anyone would call him a Jedi Master. Kaldur wasn't much of a dedicated fan to the franchise - he'd seen the original movies and read a few of the comics, but beyond that wasn't well versed with the goings on of those stories. Now, Lord of the Rings on the other hand, he would be highly tempted to see who fit best with what character...

Still mulling over that idea on the walk over to the Kent residence, it wasn't until the man had reached the front porch that he heard the deep-voiced yelling from inside the house. More than a little alarmed, because Conner had never raised his voice to his wife or children before, Kaldur swiftly rang the doorbell.

The yells were still coming even as Calvin and Tabitha opened the door up wide, their looks of astonishment and fear prompting Kaldur to enter and seek out the grown Kents.

"How can you defend this?!" Conner was finishing his tirade as the other man found him in the dining room. Megan had her arms crossed and was glaring up at her husband as their younger son, four year old Kenneth, looked morosely at the floor. All around the walls of the finely furnished room, colored drawings blanketed the plaster in a band about three feet high. Pirates, aliens, superheroes and robots all put in appearances - some fighting in great battles, while others were merely travelling aboard various ships - all done in Crayola marker and crayon.

"Oh, my..." Kaldur said weakly, getting the instant attention of the trio in the room.

"Kaldur!" Megan exclaimed, hurrying forward to greet him. "We weren't, um, expecting you just yet."

"Sorry about the mess," Conner added, prompting his younger son to look even more dejected. " _Someone_ decided to do an art project without our permission."

"Enough, Conner." His wife warned him. Afraid that further arguing might start up, Kaldur decided to help ease the tension, gently taking hold of Megan's arm and gesturing for Conner to follow them.

"Tabitha, would you and Calvin mind waiting in here for a few minutes?" As soon as the adults were separated from the children, Kaldur carefully set about cooling their tempers. "It's not like he set fire to the room."

The humor, at least, got the pair to both snort. "He knows better, though." Conner couldn't help but say. "He's colored on some of the walls before, and even though I tell him not to, Megan always says they're very well-done before painting back over them."

"So, you're saying this is my fault." The petite woman said flatly.

"No, that's not- look, what I'm saying is that we haven't properly punished him in the past, which is why he keeps doing it, and now we have that- that _mural_ covering the dining room walls!"

"Does he have nothing else to draw on?" Kaldur broke in, recognizing the harsh look in Megan's eyes as a very bad indicator of where Conner would be sleeping that night.

"Of course he does. We've gotten both the boys several coloring books and pads of paper."

"But, nothing as big as what the blank canvas of the walls offers Kenneth." That got the parents to pause in consideration. "And, perhaps he determined that if he were to create something large and impressive enough, you wouldn't cover it over as you have his other works of art."

Conner let out a disgruntled noise. "Why would he decide that?"

Kaldur could only shrug. "Children's minds work in mysterious ways, my friend. If I may suggest, take photographs of the 'mural' that you can print out and place around the house - no guarantee, but it may curb his desire to create further works of art upon the walls."

"...That could work."

 _A/N: I couldn't resist the Star Wars comparisons. I might make later reference to any LotR ones I (or people who leave comments) come up with. Oh, and Happy Halloween folks! I hope everyone enjoys whatever traditions they have for the holiday. I myself will be putting on my Viking costume, participating in a gathering of geek board and card gamers, before spending a large amount of time munching on treats as I write to my heart's content._

 _-Triscribe_


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

It was early in the summer vacation period that the Kents gained an extra member to their household. Thirteen year old Garfield, one of Megan's older sister's son, had spent most of his life living on an animal sanctuary in Africa, and as such had a hard time adjusting to suburban America. After nearly a week of the boy bringing various wild animals into her house, and getting her own sons to follow suit, Megan was at her wit's end.

"And every time I try to explain to him why he shouldn't do it, he either laughs it off or gets really sullen and goes to hide for a few hours!" She was explaining exasperatedly to Kaldur and Raquel. "I don't know if he was this much trouble for Marie over in Qurac and she needed a break, or if he just resents being sent away for the summer, but no matter what I do I can't get through to him!"

"Has Conner tried?" Raquel asked.

"Once, but... He's a dog person. _Strictly,_ a dog person. The sudden influx of squirrels and mice and birds has Conner taking Calvin and Kenny more often than not and fleeing, leaving me to deal with it."

As his wife snickered, Kaldur tried a different approach. "Has Gar explained his reasoning for collecting these animals?"

"Says that he wants to give everyone he can a better life and chance for survival."

"Well, I admire the kid's outlook." Included Raquel. "Maybe he's destined to be an animal shelter worker or something along those lines."

"And that's fine, but he doesn't have to turn _our house_ into said shelter." Megan rubbed at her temples as she tried to calm down. "Oh, I'm starting to sound more and more like Artemis. I need _help,_ guys."

"Why don't I invite him to come spend a day at the hatchery with me?" Kaldur suddenly suggested. "It would be educational and probably exciting for him, and give me a chance to slip some explanations in that might be more taken to heart than what you've already tried."

"You are a lifesaver," Megan thanked him, slumping her shoulders in relief. "Hopefully he can adapt a little better because of it."

"Isn't that a touch silly, considering you guys will just be sending him back home at the end of the summer?" Neither of the Ahms were expecting Raquel's question to get Megan to gain a nervous expression.

"...Marie doesn't mention it, but I can tell the work's been getting harder and harder for her to handle alone since her husband passed away a few years ago. I'm pretty sure she'd been debating giving up the sanctuary to move herself and Garfield back to the States." The auburn haired woman quickly explained. Her friends exchanged a look.

"Does the boy suspect this?" Kaldur asked quietly.

"I'm not sure. It might tie in to his current behavior, it might not - but I'm too frazzled at this point to figure it out myself."

"Fair enough, Megan."

-AYC-

"This is so cool!" Gar exclaimed, leaning over the guardrails of the walkway to peer down into the hatchery tanks. "And you guys keep it up all year?"

"For the most part, yes. We try to mimic the actual reproduction cycles of these fish species in the wild, so that when we release batches of young adults, they are joining a population of their age mates." Kaldur explained to the excited boy.

"Awesome!" That was how most of their conversation went as the afternoon and tour passed. Eventually, as the pair stopped over in Kaldur's office for a brief snack, the man was able to bring up the other part of his mission.

"If you do not mind me asking, Garfield, why have you continued to bring animals into your aunt's house when she asked you to stop?" Instantly, the thirteen year old's eyes dropped, his shoulders stiffening with tension.

"...It's what I do at home, and Mom never minds." He muttered.

"But your mother is not here, and it distresses the family members with whom you currently live." Kaldur pointed out. He didn't expect Gar's eyes to start tearing up.

"She said this was going to be my home." The boy whispered. "That, that if I couldn't go back to the sanctuary, I'd be living with Aunt Megan all the time."

"What are you talking about?" Kaldur moved around his desk to crouch in front of the boy, trying to look him in the eye. "Why would you not be able to go back, Garfield?" Hesitantly, he started to explain about some local military group that had been demanding higher and higher prices for letting vehicles passing through their territory. Mrs. Logan had apparently been unable to cope with the costs, and knew it was likely she would be targeted for not complying. Unwilling to put her son at risk as well, the woman sent him to her closest family in the States, both understanding the likelihood of his being unable to return home.

"A-and she said I shouldn't tell anyone, because then they would try to h-help but would just put th-themselves at risk t-too." The entire time, Gar's voice had barely risen above a whisper, but Kaldur felt his heart breaking all the same. They ended up cutting the tour short so that he could take the boy back to the Kent residence, and there explain that Garfield had been trying to make the place feel like a home he thought he'd never see again.

Megan herself began to cry as Kaldur repeated all Gar had told him, with Conner looking decidedly unsettled as he hugged his wife close.

Three days later, they received word of Marie Logan's death.

Garfield, Megan, and all her family and friends held a makeshift funeral service in the woods at the base of the local mountain, a place that the newly made orphan said his mother would have loved. A solicitor in Qurac would be shipping all of Marie's belongings to her younger sister's address, where they would be gone through and then passed on further as her will dictated. The animal sanctuary itself would be absorbed into the Quaraci National Reserve, a fate that all Logans, past and present, would be happy with.

And Megan never again berated Gar again for bringing critters into their home.

(She did put her foot down at the crab, though.)

 _A/N: It was so fluffy... And then I had to go through some angst in there. Oh, well. We'll get back to the funny soon enough, I promise. There's only a few more planned chapters for this story, but Artemis Raven Courtney has gone and given me yet another idea for an accompanying story, taking place in between this and the last one and describing some of the growing pains of the Ahm family. Curse or congratulate her as you will._

 _On a side note, anyone notice the new cover image for the story? Not bad, if I do say so myself. I also drew one for Tending to the Crowd, and both can be found along with other artworks on my DeviantArt account. If ever you want a sneak peek of what's gonna be going into my fan fiction stories, it can be a pretty safe bet there will be something up over there to serve as an indicator._

 _Until next time folks!_

 _-Triscribe_


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

"Hey, Dad?" Kaldur looked up from his computer to see an uncertain expression on Amistad's face. "How do you ask out a girl you really like when you aren't sure she won't punch you for it?"

Eyebrows climbing, the man took a moment to think about that. "Carefully, I should think."

"Oh, gee, that's a _big_ help..."

"What I mean to say is, perhaps put it to her as a suggestion first, to see what she thinks of the idea before actually asking her to accompany you on a date."

"Like, test the waters first, you mean?" At his stepfather's nod, Amistad looked a great deal more cheerful. "That's a great idea, thanks Dad!" And with that, the fifteen year old grabbed his sneakers and headed out.

Tabitha popped up from where she'd been sitting and coloring behind the chair Kaldur sat on. "What did he mean, she might punch him for it? Who's Amis going to ask?"

"I highly suspect a certain redheaded Harper..."

-AYC-

Sure enough, when Kaldur was preparing dinner in the kitchen later that night, there was a moment of furious knocking on his back door before it was thrown open.

"Do you know where your son is right now?" Roy asked, appearing ready to explode.

"He called to say he would be out on a date and didn't expect to return until around ten or so."

"A date with _my daughter!"_ Kaldur didn't say a word, he just waited until Roy had gotten some of the enraged pacing and growling out of his system. When the other man finally went and threw himself into one of the kitchen chairs, he knew it was time to talk.

"Roy. Why do you object to Amistad asking Lian out?"

"She's my little girl, damn it."

"So, your objection is with her rather than him."

"No one is allowed to date my daughter! Not until I'm sure she's ready for it, and fourteen sure as hell isn't ready!"

"They are merely going to the arcade." Kaldur informed him, more than a little amused at how his friend was taking this. "The only difference between now and when they go as friends is that Amistad will be picking up the bill by himself, and I imagine there will be a short kiss at the end of it."

Roy groaned and dropped his head into his hands. "You aren't helping, Kal."

"My _point_ being that those two have been friends for many a year, and will certainly ease into this new level of relationship slowly. If things go as I suspect, they will enjoy some dates and a little bit of physical contact before returning to 'best friend' status."

"...Why do you say that?"

"This is the first time Amistad has gone on something he considers a date. More than likely, he just wanted to be able to say he'd had one, as a right of passage, and Lian was the only girl he felt comfortable enough to ask. Even so, when he wanted my advice this afternoon, he was more than a little concerned she'd punch him for it."

 _That_ got Roy to smirk at least - he'd taught Lian everything she knew about fighting and intimidation. "Alright, fine, I won't go into over-protective father mode on him. But if does anything to break my little girl's heart-"

"She will take him down for it before you do, most likely."

It was about then that Tabitha poked her head into the kitchen. "Daddy, when is- oh, hi mr. Harper! Did you know Amistad was going to ask Lian out on a date?"

"Hiya kiddo. And no, I didn't until after they'd already left, and my wife had to stop me from going out after them." He smiled as the little girl giggled.

"Sooo, if they go on any more dates, can my friends and I follow and tease them about it?"

"Sure!" Roy said before Kaldur had a chance to object. "As long as you tell me every move that was made afterward."

"Okay!" As his daughter skipped away, Kaldur turned a flat look onto his friend. "I do not appreciate you turning my seven year old and her elementary grade friends into spies, Roy."

"Hey, at least this way we know what Lian and Amistad get up to, and with the kiddies trailing after them those two won't go anywhere inappropriate for the pipsqueaks to follow."

"How do you know they won't do just that in order to get away from the younger children?"

Roy thought about that for a moment, made a disgruntled noise, and got up to hurry out.

When Amistad returned home that night, he was wearing a large grin, the sight of which had Kaldur reluctant to inform his step-son about Mr. Harper's visit. Tabitha, though, had no such reluctance, and gladly told the teen about her new plans, to his growing horror.

The beseeching look that Amistad shot to him had Kaldur offering the only advice he could under the circumstances. "I suggest you keep your date plans a secret until after they're over with."

 _A/N: Sorry about the delay, folks, the official start of Nanowrimo had me focusing on getting ahead with my novel as well as working on a couple other projects. Next chapter will be out by next weekend, though, and after that we should only have the epilogue left._

 _I've also made the decision to spend Thanksgiving break on campus, which means I'll have the whole week to work on my stories, including the tale that will round out my Crowd triad, taking place chronologically in-between Tending and Antics. I hope you all will enjoy reading that when it comes out!_

 _-Triscribe_


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

The Fourth of July had far and away become Kaldur's favorite holiday over the years, because it was the only one that guaranteed he and his family would spend the full day with all of their close friends. There was a large, grassy plot of undeveloped land behind the Graysons house, and this had become the traditional place for the various couples and their children to gather and enjoy themselves. This year, Amistad and Lian had restored to hiding on the roof of the house, after the younger kids had trailed them across the yard, through the house, and up a tree as the dating couple sought out some privacy. Thanks to their prey's successful escape, Tabitha announced a game of soccer: her, Calvin, and Marian on one side versus Gar and the West twins on the other. Little Kenny got to run around as the referee, calling out fouls and touchdowns that had nothing to do with the actual events of the game in front of him. Zatanna, Megan, and Raquel spent some time chatting inside as they put together the finger foods, while Roy, Wally and Artemis had a friendly argument over grilling the hot dogs and burger patties. Dick was getting out fireworks from the garage, helped by Conner, as Kaldur leaned against the railing of the back porch and smiled as he watched the kids enjoy themselves.

"Hey, bartender, want a drink?"

"Yes, thank you." Jade handed him a beer from the adult cooler, and the pair relaxed in silence for a while.

"Y'know what kind of scares me?" She dark-haired woman piped up after a bit.

"Hm?"

"Lian and Amistad are just the first. Sooner or later, the rest of this lot's going to grow up to, and probably head out on dates together for their first times."

"And then comes the hope that they might stay together, along with the fear of what the results will be if they don't," Kaldur commiserated.

"Well, my one consolation is that they'll all probably still come to you for advice." Jade laughed at her friend's expression of distaste. "Oh come on, it won't be that bad."

"It is going to be just like worrying over you all again, except _worse,_ because none of the children will have had any previous experience to understand how relationships are supposed to work in the first place."

"Sooo, you're _not_ looking forward to Tabitha bringing home her first boyfriend, then?"

"I did not say that. My own children, it has and will be a joy to help them grow, as this is just another step on the road to adulthood." Kaldur pointed out. "It is going to be dealing with _all the others_ that will quite likely drive me up the wall."

"Good thing you know how to mix a mean drink, then."

"Helpful, you are not."

Jade raised an eyebrow at him. "Well well, I guess some does live up to being called Yoda."

"Better a green alien than the Headmaster of Hogwarts." Seeing Jade's confused expression, he had to elaborate. "Amis and Tabby were brainstorming other stories they could compare us to the characters of, and decided I was Albus Dumbledore, which they saw as a compliment and I nearly took as an insult before they explained. I would much rather have been Gandalf."

Jade was snickering at him, slowly shaking her head from side to side. "You people..."

"Yes, I know. One can only hope it will get better with time." Out in the yard, the soccer game had devolved into something of a free-for-all, with Marian and Kenny pinning Garfield to the ground as Irey and West ran around them in a circle, the girl holding onto the soccer ball being chased by her brother. Tabitha and Calvin had collapsed nearby, breathing heavily and leaning against one another as they laughed along with their friends. "Then again, this looks to be pretty good right now."

 _A/N: Last official chapter, folks. Not that I couldn't come up with more, but I'm pretty busy this month and didn't want to try and drag this out longer than necessary. Anywho, the epilogue will be out later this week, and in December I'll start posting Three's a Crowd, the in-between tale about the growing pains Amistad, Raquel and Kaldur go through when they transition into being a family._

 _Keep on coming back during November, though, 'cause one never knows what little snippets of stories and one-shots I might post when I'm bored with Nanowrimo novel-writing (YJ Western AU, I'm looking at you. /narrows eyes in a fearsome glare)...Please excuse my occasional craziness, though._

 _So long folks, and have a happy Thanksgiving holiday!_

 _-Triscribe_


	8. Chapter 8 (Epilogue)

Epilogue

"Granpa?"

"Mm?"

"How do you know when a girl likes you?" Kaldur sighed as he looked down into his oldest grandson's eyes.

"You know, it really should be your father than you put that question to..."

The twelve year old shrugged in reply. "I did, but he told me to come ask you, and said I should do it before the munchkins get here for their afternoon playdate." He raised a curious eyebrow as his white haired grandfather started to shake his head and chuckle. "Grandpa?"

"It never ends," Kaldur murmured to himself, before returning to the issue at hand. "Well, with some, they try to deny any affection they might have by inflicting acts of physical violence upon the poor boy's head, though this tends to die out in the middle school years. Clues might also lie in how much blushing or mumbling they do in said boy's presence, how much they try to avoid him, or if they seem to always be meeting gazes with him at random times before hurriedly looking away."

"That's... kind of a lot. And pretty different."

"Yes, it is." Kaldur agreed. "Fortunately, I've had many years of practice at this sort of thing, so why don't you tell me exactly what it is this girl may or may not be doing to indicate her liking of you?"

The two of them sat together for a while, discussing the classmate in question and leading to the conclusion that a crush was indeed present, and how Kaldur's grandson wanted to go about dealing with it. When a decision was finally made, the twelve year old leaned up to hug his grandfather's neck.

"Thanks, Grandpa! How'd you get to be so good at this?"

"That is a long story, young one, going back three generations at this point..." And never had Kaldur regretted one second of it. He was only sorry that the crowd he dealt advice to kept getting bigger with each consecutive generation, but that was a small price to pay for seeing his friends and family happy.


End file.
